ABSTRACT
Industry in the seventeenth century was organised in small local units, of which the most typical was the master craftsman's household, with its living, working and storage accommodation for the family, the apprentices and, perhaps, a young journeyman or two. We have seen that the Weavers' ordinances permitted master weavers to take not more than certain prescribed numbers of apprentices according to their standing as members of the Company, but no limits were placed upon the number of children under fourteen years of age who could be employed on sundry simple but essential tasks. Many master weavers employed young boys 'brought up to the trade' to attend upon them and their journeymen (if any) 'to help him pick his silk clean, to fill his quills, and in a flowered work to draw up the figure. l Some of these things these boys are able to do at the age of six or seven, for which they receive 2s., 3s., 4s., or 4s. 6d., a week, which is a great help to their poor fathers and mothers. This they continue till fourteen, at which time they seek for a master and masters also seek for such boys.'2 The Weavers' records confirm this generalisation. For example, in 1617, Thomas Davie, a master weaver, was eager to employ his boy-servant in the loom, but the Court of Assistants ordered him to keep the boy 'as a winder with him and not to be set to the loom above 14 days before he is bound apprentice to him or some other'.3 From the eighteenth century comes another example in which a weaver working in Moorfields 'having entertained Jacob Dehorne, a poor lad upwards of 12 years of age who is willing to be bound apprentice but not being of age sufficient, is permitted to keep him until he attains to the age of 14 and then to bring him to be bound'.4 Such boys, between six and fourteen years of age, with the apprentices and journeymen, all under the direction and supervision of the master weaver, formed the typical industrial unit.
